In an eagerly anticipated face-to-face meeting, President Joe Biden will meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) on Wednesday. The meeting, held at an undisclosed location in the San Francisco Bay area, will cover several key issues, including President Biden's concerns regarding the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.

One of the primary objectives of their meeting will be for President Biden to urge President Xi to utilize his influence with Tehran to prevent Iran and its proxies from exacerbating the Israel-Hamas conflict, potentially leading to a wider regional conflict. A senior administration official emphasized the importance of China's relationship with Iran, highlighting the need for Iran to refrain from escalating violence in the Middle East.

President Biden's decision to discuss Iran's role in the conflict with President Xi underscores the administration's apprehension that Iran's Hezbollah ally in Lebanon could heed Hamas's call for opening a second "resistance" front against Israel. The strategic partnership between China and Iran, driven by mutual antipathy towards the United States, further emphasizes the significance of engaging China on this matter.

The talks between President Biden and President Xi will encompass a range of pressing issues in U.S.-China relations. These include climate cooperation, China's involvement in the U.S. opioid overdose epidemic, and Beijing's alignment with Russia in the conflict in Ukraine.

Additionally, the two leaders will address perennially contentious subjects such as human rights, tensions across the Taiwan Strait, and territorial disputes in the South China Sea. Notably absent from the detailed agenda is the discussion of the future of the Trump-era 301 tariffs on Chinese imports, which President Biden has refused to withdraw.

While President Xi's meeting agenda remains undisclosed, a spokesperson from the Chinese Foreign Ministry indicated that the leaders will discuss matters of "strategic, overarching, and fundamental importance" pertaining to China-U.S. relations and global peace and development.

This will be the first direct contact between President Biden and President Xi since their encounter at the 2022 G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, where they jointly resolved to de-escalate tensions. However, relations turned frosty following a Chinese spy balloon incident in February, and Beijing has resisted administration efforts to reconnect the two leaders. The meeting follows months of active diplomatic outreach by the Biden administration, including multiple visits to Beijing by senior cabinet officials and climate envoy John Kerry.

In preparation for the meeting, both sides have engaged in extensive diplomatic activity, with officials meeting in various locations from San Francisco to Washington. Discussions have covered climate cooperation, disability rights, nuclear nonproliferation, maritime issues, and economic ties, reflecting the importance placed on high-level diplomacy.

President Biden enters the meeting fully aware that this is his final opportunity to engage President Xi one-on-one before he becomes fully engrossed in his reelection campaign. Both the campaign and China's concerns over the potential victory of pro-independence candidate Lai Ching-te in Taiwan's presidential election in January 2024 have the potential to make the following year "quite a bumpy year," according to a senior administration official.

The meeting between President Biden and President Xi is expected to yield substantial outcomes, potentially including the resumption of high-level military-to-military ties that were suspended by Beijing as a response to Nancy Pelosi's Taiwan visit in 2022. Top administration officials expressed hope that progress can be made in this area.

Amidst a prolonged downturn in the Chinese economy and a decline in foreign direct investment, doubts remain among administration officials regarding China's motives in re-engaging with the United States. The extent to which China genuinely seeks to improve relations with the U.S. or pursues tactical and short-term measures is a pressing question that will be scrutinized during the meeting.

President Biden's meeting with President Xi holds significant implications for the complex and evolving dynamic between the United States and China. As critical issues are addressed, the outcomes of this meeting will be closely monitored by observers around the world.